In the last fifty years, the use of stories in education has included vignettes as an effective stimulus for discussion of real-life contexts and problems. However, vignettes have rarely been used as an assessment tool and there is no reported consensus on their definition and design. This article documents the use of vignettes as an effective…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) calls for a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. According to the legislation, "highly qualified" is defined as full certification, a bachelor's degree, and demonstrated content knowledge in all core subjects taught. States, district, and schools are spending considerable…

Since Eritrea became independent in 1993, efforts have been underway to revise and update the conventional education curriculum. With a determination to quickly bridge the growing knowledge gap between Eritrea and the rest of the world, the Eritrean Government has decided on media education as a sustainable alternative. This choice is in line with…

The nature of academic work is changing rapidly, with moves towards professionalisation taking place against a background of fragmentation. Indeed, some aspects of professionalisation may have a fragmenting effect. It is suggested that there remains considerable value in the idea of an integrated faculty role. Noting that leaders in staff…

In this article we chronicle a particular professional development initiative designed to promote the acquisition of an evaluation habit of mind within an educational context. After describing the rationale behind this initiative in some detail, we proceed to map the experiences of four of the participants--a principal, a vice principal, a…

According to several surveys over the past six years, faculty support and training in information technology remains one of the most pressing issues in higher education (Greene, 2001; Gandel, et al., 2000; Lembke, et al., 2001; Kobulnicky, et al., 2002). In an effort to address this issue, various organizations have published guidelines or…

This essay explores the origins and practice of the "workshop" as a form of in-service teacher education developed during the Eight-Year Study (1933-1941) sponsored by the Progressive Education Association. The Eight-Year Study workshops offer important lessons for current educational reform as the authors call for greater attention to the history…

This article is about using research from a practitioner perspective. It tells the stories of four teachers and a researcher, who were part of a collaborative project focused on connecting research and practice in relation to Education for Sustainable Development. The project started with a small advertisement placed in a practitioner newsletter,…

The No Child Left Behind Act's requirements for scientifically based research and new accountability standards will affect how professional development leaders do their work. Meeting the new requirements means leaders must more carefully evaluate new programs of professional learning and assess the results. Evaluation must become a given, not an…

Few studies have investigated therapist interns' growth experiences, both personal and professional, and the interplay between them. This qualitative study explored the reciprocal process of growth during clinical training: the personal life experiences that affect professional growth and the professional/clinical experiences that affect personal…

If the culture of teaching is to change from one of isolation and professional limitations to one of collaboration and empowerment, administrators must change how they view and interact with teachers. Mr. Steel and Ms. Craig offer specific recommendations for how school leaders can support and facilitate teachers' growth. (Contains 9 endnotes.)

The Division of Information and Academic Services (DIAS) is a large service division (over 400 staff) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). In 2002 it supported a novel one-month rotation of roles by the three department directors. The rotation was conceived as an important professional development opportunity for each of the directors and…

This paper discusses the role of teacher educators in contexts of social and economic change, the "standards" agenda, teachers' work and the academic-teacher divide. It suggests that the kinds of relationships that preservice and inservice teacher educators must develop with teachers need to extend beyond the current narrow range of course…

During the last decade, since the break-up of the Soviet Union into a number of independent countries, Kyrgyzstan has experienced major political, social and economic transformation. This has resulted in increased democratization and decentralization. Educational systems have been transformed too. In Kyrgyzstan, the number and size of universities…

In an earlier edition of this journal, Paul Swan (1997) published an article called "Writing for journals: An avenue for professional development". His article encourages teachers to share their experiences and ideas by becoming writers of APMC journal articles, and in doing so, engage in professional development. The set of guidelines…